On September 17-24, Kenyan capital Nairobi hosted the executive committee meeting of the international Catholic lay organization “Unum omnes.”
On September 17-24, Kenyan capital Nairobi hosted the executive committee meeting of the international Catholic lay organization “Unum omnes.” The event program included a seminar on “God’s Mercy for all creatures” which was dedicated to the encyclical of Pope Francis titled Laudato si. The document was reviewed in the context of the Year of God's Mercy, proclaimed by the Pope, according to the Information Department of the UGCC.
The meeting in Nairobi was attended by representatives from Ghana, Nigeria, Ireland, France, Austria, Lithuania, Ukraine and the diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Kenya. Ukraine was represented by Anatoliy Babinskyy, chief editor of Patriarchate, the editor of reference and educational information of RISU and fellow the Institute of Religion and Society of UCU, who from 2015 has been vice president of ‘Unum omnes’. This meeting of the executive committee of ‘Unum omnes’ was decided to be held in Africa since last year for the first time in the history of the organization was headed by a representative of the continent - Eddie Prague from Ghana.
A number of presentations were delivered at the seminar on the theme of the papal bull “Misericordiae Vultus” and Encyclical “Laudato si,” but also to the history and present of the Catholic Church in Kenya. After reports there have been discussions and these documents were discussed in groups. Participants visited the diocesan center in Ngong, Nakuru, L'Arche-Ark central office at the diocese of N'yahururu and Nakuru National Park.
“This seminar, in addition to good presentations and discussions, has become a retreat for each participant in the context of two papal documents,” Anatoly Babinskyy says. “In my short speech on Encyclical “Laudato si” I spoke of Christian asceticism that can improve the current economy. Consumer demand is a kind of oiling for modern economic system, which must constantly be stimulated, but the problem is that the system produces a huge amount of waste, both in the material form and in the form of human resources. I informed the participants about the case of Hrybovytske garbage dump, where rescuers deceased in a pile of garbage. It is a sad and eloquent symbol of consumer culture of our time.”
Background: ‘Unum omnes’ is an international lay organization founded in 1948 to bring together the national Catholic men's movement, which aims to popularize and implement in daily life the teachings of the Catholic Church, with special emphasis on the social doctrine of the Church.
‘Unum omnes’ facilitates contacts between local member organizations in the work of evangelization, promotes the establishment of new Catholic men's organizations and maintains relationships with other Catholic international organizations.
‘Unum omnes’ belongs to the 122 officially recognized international lay organizations of dicastery for the laity and family life. St. Volodymyr’s Fund is a full Ukrainian representative in ‘Unus omnes’.